The title of the exhibition “What’s in a Frame?” is related to the famous citation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette: “What’s in a name?”

‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy.Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.What’s Montague? It is not hand nor footNor arm nor face nor any other partBelonging to a man. O, be some other name!What’s in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other word would smell as sweet.So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,Retain that dear perfection which he owesWithout that title.’ (Shakespeare)

It is a semantic play with the words ‘name’ and ‘frame’. Instead of the meaning a name bears for a person, as shown in Shakespeare’s oeuvre, the exhibition “What’s in a Frame?” tries to find out what the frame means for a piece of art. What role does the presentation play and how does it affect the perception of an artwork?Well-known artists are participating from Israel, Mexico, Belgium, Holland, Poland, Slovakia, Columbia, South Africa and Germany.Instead of the usual showcases, the exhibiting jewellery artists have various old picture frames at their disposal. The artists choose “their” frame and design their artwork or its presentation according to this special frame.In addition, the exhibition takes place within the accompanying programme of the special jewellery exhibition “Schmuck 2012″ at Internationale Handwerksmesse in Munich. This international crafts trade show is highly appreciated in the temporary jewellery scene and attracts many jewellery designers, gallery owners, curators and collectors from all over the world.Three other international jewellery exhibitions take place at the same time on the exhibition grounds.